Notes on a Scorecard - Nov. 29, 1993

The trouble with the Raiders Sunday was that they were facing the wrong Shula. . . . They are 11-5 against Don, but 0-2 against Dave after their loss to Cincinnati. . . .

In handing the Bengals their first victory, the Raiders put it all together--numerous dropped passes, four missed field-goal attempts, a key fumble, and some defensive foul-ups. . . .

Art Shell’s team is not exactly what you would call a well-oiled machine. . . .

Shouldn’t Raider running backs have been called upon more than 13 times against a rush defense that ranked last in the NFL? . . .

I was surprised the Rams were able to limit the San Francisco 49ers to 35 points. . . .

No matter what numbers Steve Young hangs up, he will not be fully appreciated by 49er fans until he wins a Super Bowl. . . .

Leon Lett’s best games are the ones when he isn’t noticed. . . .

ABC must not have thought San Diego would be 4-6 when it lined up the Chargers and Indianapolis for tonight’s edition of Monday night football, but the Colts’ 3-7 record is no shock. . . .

That was some compliment John Madden paid Dave Wannstedt when the former Oakland Raider coach said the Chicago Bears are one of the best tackling teams he has ever seen. . . .

*

NBA team takes 22-point lead early in the second quarter and then goes stone cold and gets caught, but the star player, who had been three for 15, makes winning basket with 22 seconds remaining. . . .

Such is life for the Houston Rockets, who extended their winning streak out of the gate to 13 Saturday night against the Clippers at the Sports Arena. . . .

“That’s what it’s been like,” Coach Rudy Tomjanovich said after Hakeem Olajuwon’s short jump shot made the difference in an 82-80 victory. . . .

“We haven’t been pretty, but we’ve found a way to win,” Tomjanovich said. “We’re doing it with sweat, defense, and teamwork. This was our third game on the road in four nights. We haven’t had time to practice and we played horribly on offense.”. . . .

Next is a home game against Milwaukee Tuesday and then probably a chance Thursday against the Knicks at New York to tie the NBA record for most consecutive wins at the start of a season--15, set by Red Auerbach’s Washington Capitols in 1948. In 1957, Auerbach’s Boston Celtics won their first 14. . . .

“Right now, I can’t wait to look at the tapes and come up with a game plan for Milwaukee,” Tomjanovich said. “Talking about win streaks will lose you more games than it will win you. Last year, we had 15, 11, and eight-game winning streaks and I don’t even remember them.” . . .

A few hours earlier Saturday at the Sports Arena, some Ivy Leaguers from Pennsylvania put on a textbook display of offense during a 77-62 victory over USC. . . .

The Trojan freshmen, particularly guard Stais Boseman and center Avondre Jones, are talented, but it is going to take awhile for them to mesh. . . .

The best looking newcomer during the opening weekend was UCLA forward Charles O’Bannon, who scored 22 points and had 12 rebounds in 28 minutes. Of course, that was against Loyola Marymount. The USC freshmen get their chance against the Lions Tuesday. . . .

*

Teams from Slovenia, Canada, Italy, Poland, Australia, Ukraine, Russia, Latvia and Croatia played exhibition basketball games against U.S. colleges Wednesday. . . .

Life imitated art when Butler stunned Indiana at the same fieldhouse in Indianapolis where the climatic scenes in “Hoosiers,” based on a memorable upset in a state high school championship game in the same building, were filmed. . . .

Too bad the geniuses at ABC didn’t allow us to see the kind of performance that makes Florida State quarterback Charlie Ward such a cinch for the Heisman Trophy. . . .

The game shown in Southern California instead of Florida State-Florida was entertaining, but you probably didn’t care enough about Penn State- Michigan State to tune in. . . .

It figured that 11-1 shot The Vid would win the inaugural Pete Axthelm Breeders’ Cup Handicap at Calder Race Course in Miami. The late sportswriter-broadcaster always was partial to longshots. . . .

Being a front-runner, I took in my first game at Anaheim Arena Friday after the Mighty Ducks had won four in a row on the road. . . .

The arena is beautiful, the sight lines are terrific, the Disney touch is evident but not overbearing, and the Mighty Ducks did what most teams do after returning from a successful road trip by losing to San Jose. . . .

The Oscar De La Hoya camp has made a wise move by adding former lightweight champion Carlos Ortiz to the training staff.